Veroli Zhimo
Why do public projects flounder the way they do in Nagaland? If there is one thing constant about the endless procession of projects being taken up in the service of 'development,' it is the air of inevitability that something will always go wrong with them. Whether through collusion, carelessness, or sheer incompetence, these projects are often being undone by those involved in various stages starting from their conceptualisation to implementation.
The most obvious outcome of this state of affairs is the revision of projects – with the extension of deadlines, sometimes multiple times, and original costs pushed up several times higher – but rarely any punishment for the perennially underperforming project authorities.
Some of the most prominent examples of such public undertakings are the infamous 16-year-old Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex or State Stadium in Dimapur, the four-lane road project between Kohima and Dimapur, and the Foothill Road project, to name a few.
In most cases, authorities tend to shift the blame on landowners, the traditional landholding system in the state, and even the Naga Political Groups (NPGs) for delaying the projects, leaving aside the fact that the State itself is unable to pay its own share towards the projects on time. However, with the State of Nagaland in its 59th year already, one would assume that the Government would have refined the policies to tackle problems arising out of its unique landholding systems.
Along with avoiding conflicts of interest at any stage of a project, robust contracts and feasibility studies are fundamental requirements before taking up any project.
Unfortunately, in both central and locally funded projects, the rules are more often breached than honoured.
Lack of open tender and competitive bidding remains a constant threat as evident in the various complaints raised from time to time in the state. Often, the project implementing agency and the line departments lack a sense of ownership and even knowledge of relevant development project proposals, leading to all sorts of problems including project revisions. Sometimes the pressure for revisions also comes from the contractors, who tend to exploit their connections to profit off any cost overrun.
To state it simply, there is no shortage of challenges or loopholes allowing corruption and mismanagement in the government's construction projects.
These long-festering problems have frequently come in the way of such projects for as long as the State of Nagaland has existed, delaying many of them or, in worst-case scenarios, halting them in their tracks. In the end, poorly planned and executed projects make poor investment returns.
This, in turn, has led to various development agencies including the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), the North East Council, etc, showing reluctance to pump in funds to the State.
To alleviate these problems, the State Government must critically rethink its project management strategy. It must reform how projects are designed and implemented from start to finish.
Comments can be sent to vzhimolimi@gmail.com
